Traffic line apparatus



May 13, 1941- J. E. LETT TRAFFIC LINE APPARATUS Filed Nov. 9, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 I Inventor JA MES E. L ETTQ Aiiorneys May 13, 1941. J LE -r 2,241,863

TRAFFIC LINE APPARATUS Filed Nov. 9, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Attorneys May 13, 1941. i -r 2,241,863

TRAFFI C LINE APPARATUS Filed Nov. 9, 1939 3 Sheets-Shea; 3

i J6 If i Inventor JAMES E L ETT,

Attorneys Patented May 13, 1941 TRAFFIC LINE APPARATUS James E. Lett, San Angelo, Te x., assignor of onethird to Theo. Montgomery, San Angelo, Tex.

Application November 9, 1939, Serial No. 303,672

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a traific line apparatus, and has for the primary object the provision of a device of this character which may be readily installed on an asphalt spreading machine or to a machine used for marking streets or highways, the device being constructed to deliver an aggregate of a color different from the natural color of the asphalt and in stripe formation after the application of an emulsion or binder on the asphalt so that the aggregate will form a center line tothe'street or road which will be easily distinguishable by drivers of vehicles and will be capable of withstanding wear to a greater extent than a painted stripe and consequently the life thereof will be for a maximum length of time and at a nominal cost.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

For a complete understanding of my invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation illustrating a traffic line apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention and showing the application thereof to a fragmentary portion of an asphalt spreading machine.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view illustrating an aggregate hopper, and a portion of a chute connected thereto, taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 3.

Figure 3 is a top plan view illustrating the device.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a side elevation illustrating the application of this invention to a conventional type of machine used for striping streets or highways.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral 5 indicates a fragmentary portion of a machine employed for the distributing of asphalt in the making of a new street or roadway and which includes a transversely arranged asphalt distributing member 6 arranged at the rear of the machine for spreading asphalt onto the roadway. The machine 5 is briefly referred to for the purpose of illustrating the application and use of the present invention and it is to be understood that the latter is employed on a machine of this character when the last course or application of the asphalt or seal coat is applied to the roadway.

Mounted on the rear of the machine 5 is a supply tank I for containing an emulsion or binder and is equipped with a suitable valve mechanism 8 to permit the emulsion or binder to be placed under air pressure from a suitable air pressure supply (not shown). The discharge pipe for the tank I is indicated by the character 9 and has a control valve and is connected to a discharge pipe II) by a pivotal coupling II. The discharge pipe extends downwardly toward the roadway in a rearward direction and terminates in a nozzle I2 .for spraying onto the freshly laid asphalt the emulsion or binder in a path of a predetermined width.

A hopper I3 for containing an aggregate is mounted on the rear of the machine 5 by brackets I4 and its bottom has converging walls I5 to form a discharge opening I6. A deflector I1 is arranged in the hopper above the discharge opening I6 for deflecting the aggregate against the sloping walls I5 so that an even distribution of the aggregate from the hopperwill be had by way of the opening It.

A downwardly inclined trough I8 has at its upper end a flared mouth portion I9 to underlie or receive therein portions of the sloping walls I5 so that the material leaving the hopper by way of the opening I6 will enter the trough for gravitation therein. Flexible elements are secured to the 'hopper and to the mouth portion I9 and may be readily detached from the latter when desired so that the trough can be removed from the hopper when necessary. It is preferable that the trough be constructed of telescopic sections which are adjustably connected, as shown at 2|. The lower end of the trough terminates in a vertically arranged box 22 having a discharge spout 23 and a flat bottom wall 24. The bottom wall of the trough enters the box 22 for a limited distance by way of an opening 25 which is controlled by a slidable gate 26 carried by the box. A distributing roller 2'! is journaled in the box and located in a plane slightly below the bottom wall of the trough where the latter enters the box and also arranged between the opening 25 and the spout 23 for distributing and regulating the aggregate passing through the box to the spout for dischargement on the roadway or within the emulsion or binder applied to c said roadway by the nozzle I2 which travels slightly in advance of the spout 23.

A control gate 28 is slidably mounted in the box opposite the gate 26 and its lower end may be adjusted with respect to the roller 21 for regulating the amount of aggregate fed into the spout from the trough by said roller.

The box is mounted on a substantially U- shaped frame 29 which also forms a journal for the roller 21. The frame 21 is arranged horizontally with the spout 23 of the box disposed therebelow. A roller 30 is journaled on the frame and is adapted to ride upon the roadway rearwardly of the spout for placing of pressure on the aggregate arranged on the roadway in stripe formation by the spout 23. The roller 30 also acts as a propulsion means for the roller 21. The shaft of the roller 30 is equipped with a sprocket gear 3| over which is trained a sprocket chain 32. The sprocket'chain is also trained over a sprocket gear 33 secured on a shaft 34. The shaft 34 is rotatably mounted on the box and has secured thereto a gear 35 which meshes with a gear 33 secured on the shaft of the roller 21 whereby the latter-named roller will be driven by the roller 30 and in a direction opposite to the I direction of rotation of said roller 30. i A draft pole or, member 36' is connected with the forward portion of the frame 23 and inclines upwardly below the trough l8 and is adjustably connected to a coupling 31 carried by the hopper l3. The draft pole being adjustably connected as stated will permit the frame to be adjusted toward and from the machine and thereby vary the relation or distance between the spout 23 and the nozzle l2. A guiding member 38 is connected to the forward end of the frame and slidably and rotatably connected to the asphalt distributing member 6 of the machine 5 and may be manually adjusted thereon by releasing the set screw. The guiding member 38 is preferably constructed of telescopic sections which will permit the frame to be adjusted toward andfrom the machine 5, as before described. The pur-- pose of the couplings 31 and II is to permit adjiwtment of this invention on the machine 5, that is, when the asphalt distributing member 6 is adjusted transversely of the roadway on the machine, the frame and roller 30 will also be adjusted transversely of the roadway thereby permitting the traffic line to be kept centered on the roadway.

The trough being flexibly connected to the hopper l3.will allow for the stated adjustment of the device with respect to the machine 5.

In operation, aggregate of a color different from the color of the asphalt being laid by the machine is placed in the hopper l3 and gravitates to the box by way of the trough and is'fed from the box in predetermined amounts by the roller 21 and discharges onto the freshly laid asphalt by way of the spout 23 in stripe formation. Emulsion or a binder material is applied to the roadway in advance of the application of the aggregate by the nozzle l2 so as to retain the aggregate in stripe formation and as the roller 30 passes over the laid aggregate and the emulsion the weight thereof brings about a firm banking of the aggregate to the newly laid asphalt and thereby produces a very eflicient and serviceable traflic line marker capable of withstanding excessive wear. The aggregate being of a different color from the asphalt laid will be readily observable by drivers of vehicles.

The invention so far described is especially a plicable to a machine employed for spreading asphalt and especially the final coat of asphalt and if desired the same machine only constructed on a smaller scale may be connected to a road striping machine now in use and as indicated generally in Figure 6 by the character 40, it being understood that the machine 40 will apply in stripe formation an emulsion or hinder to an already constructed road and with the apparatus constituting the present invention operating in conjunction with the machine 40 will lay the aggregate into the stripe of emulsion and roll the aggregate with the emulsion to bring about thorough binding and adherence of the aggregate on the surface ofthe-road. The parts employed on the machine 40, that is, the present invention, are similarly constructed to the device which has been described in detail and the only difference being that the hopper is mounted in a slightly different way.

It is believed that the foregoing description, when taken in connection with the drawings will fully set forth the construction and advantages of this invention to those skilled in the art to which such a device relates, so that further detailed description will not be required. Y

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In combination with a machine for the application of road forming material on a road foundation, an aggregate hopper carried by said machine, a trough extending downwardly from the hopper, a box connected to the trough and including a distributing means having a shaft extending externally of said box, a substantially U-shaped frame straddling said box and extending forwardly and rearwardly thereof and having said shaft journaled thereto, a roller journaled on the frame to contact the road foundation rearwardly of the box, means for driving the distributing means by said roller, and meansfor connecting said frame to the machine.

2. In combination with a machine for the application of road forming material on a road foundation, an aggregate hopper carried by said machine, a trough extending downwardly from the hopper, a box connected to the trough and including a distributing means having a shaft extending externally of said box, a substantially U-shaped frame straddling said box and extending forwardly and rearwardly thereof and having said shaft journaled thereto, a roller journaled on the frame to contact the road foundation rearwardly of the box, means for driving the distributing means by said roller, a telescopic guide member connected to said frame and rotatably connected to the machine, and a pole connectedto the frame and adjustably and detachably connected to the hopper;

3. In combination with a machine for the application of road forming material on a road foundation, an aggregate hopper carried by said machine, a trough extending downwardly from the hopper, a box connected to the trough and including a distributing means having a shaft extending externally of said box, a substantially U-shaped frame straddling said box and extending forwardly and rearwardly thereof and having said shaft journaled thereto, a roller journaled on the frame to contact the road foundation rearwardly of the box, means for driving the distributing means by said roller, a telescopic guide member connected to said frame and rotatably connected to the machine, a pole connected to the frame and adjustabiy and detachably connected to the hopper, a supply tank for abinder mounted on the machine including means for permitting the binder material in said tank to be placed under air pressure, and a discharge pipe including a nozzle swivelly connected to said tank and mounted on the guide member for delivering the binder material on the road foundation in advance of the aggregate discharged from said box.

JAMES E. LE'I'I. 

